US6233530B1ExpiredUtilityPatentIndex 59
Control system for a failure mode testing system
Est. expirySep 15, 2017(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
G01N 2203/0256G01N 2203/0244G01M 7/06G01N 29/045G01N 29/46G01M 7/022G01N 2291/02827G01N 29/12G01M 99/008G01M 99/007G01N 2291/2698G01M 7/02G01N 2203/0202G01N 3/32G01M 7/04G11B 33/14
59
PatentIndex Score
3
Cited by
10
References
70
Claims
Abstract
A control system for a failure mode testing system is described. The control system employs at least one control algorithm that enables the testing system to be operated at optimal pressure and frequency levels in order to generate a desired system response, such as a desired energy level and desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response. Also described are a pressure dither system and a frequency ringing system for enhancing the operation of the actuator cylinders of the failure mode testing system. All three of the systems can be incorporated, either singularly or in combination, into a computer software program that can be employed to operate and control the failure mode testing system.
Claims
exact text as granted — not AI-modifiedWhat is claimed is:
1. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at an initial pressure and an initial frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, comprising:
a) selecting a desired energy level of the system response;
b) selecting a desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response;
c) changing an operational parameter of the cylinders by a pre-selected amount in order to create a first pressure/frequency condition, wherein the operational parameter is selected from the group consisting of pressure, frequency, and combinations thereof;
d) determining the system response in terms of energy and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response under the first pressure/frequency condition; and
e) storing the system response determination of the first pressure/frequency condition in a data storage medium.
2. The control system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:
f) changing an operational parameter of the cylinders by a pre-selected amount in order to create a second pressure/frequency condition different from the first pressure/frequency condition;
g) determining the system response in terms of energy and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response under the second pressure/frequency condition; and
h) storing the system response determination of the second pressure/frequency condition in a data storage medium.
3. The control system in accordance with claim 2 , further comprising:
i) changing an operational parameter of the cylinders by a pre-selected amount in order to create a third pressure/frequency condition different from the first and second pressure/frequency conditions;
j) determining the system response in terms of energy and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response under the third pressure/frequency condition; and
k) storing the system response determination of the third pressure/frequency condition in a data storage medium.
4. The control system in accordance with claim 3 , further comprising:
l) changing an operational parameter of the cylinders by a pre-selected amount in order to create a fourth pressure/frequency condition different from the first, second, and third pressure/frequency conditions;
m) determining the system response in terms of energy and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response under the fourth pressure/frequency condition; and
n) storing the system response determination of the fourth pressure/frequency condition in a data storage medium.
5. The control system in accordance with claim 4 , further comprising:
o) determining whether the desired energy level of the system response falls within the range defined by the measured energy level of any of the pressure/frequency conditions according to the formula: E LL <E DESIRED <E HH , wherein E LL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition, E DESIRED is the desired energy level of the system response, and E HH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition; and
p) determining whether the desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response falls within the range defined by the measured slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response of any of the pressure/frequency conditions according to the formula: m LL <m DESIRED <m HH , wherein m LL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition, m DESIRED is the desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response of the cylinder, and m HH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition.
6. The control system in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising:
q) decreasing the pre-selected amount that the operational parameter is changed by and repeating steps c) through p), if the desired energy level of the system response does fall within the range defined by the measured energy level of a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition and a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition.
7. The control system in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising:
r) increasing the pre-selected amount that the operational parameter is increased by and repeating steps c) through p), if the desired energy level of the system response does not fall within the range defined by the measured energy level of a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition and a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition.
8. The control system in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising:
s) decreasing the pre-selected amount that the operational parameter is changed by and repeating steps c) through p), if the desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response does fall within the range defined by the measured slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response of a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition and a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition.
9. The control system in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising:
t) increasing the pre-selected amount that the operational parameter is changed by and repeating steps c) through p), if the desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response does not fall within the range defined by the measured slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response of a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition and a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition.
10. The control system in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising:
u) calculating the change in energy due to pressure (Dep) according to the formula: Dep=((E HH +E HL )−(E LH +E LL ))/(2dp), wherein E HH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, E HL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, E LH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, E LL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition, and dp is the pre-selected amount by which the pressure is either increased or decreased.
11. The control system in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising:
v) calculating the change in energy due to frequency (Def) according to the formula: Def=((E HH +E LH )−( LHL +E LL ))/(2df), wherein E HH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, E LH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, E HL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, E LL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition, and df is the pre-selected amount by which the frequency is either increased or decreased.
12. The control system in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising:
w) calculating the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the frequency due to pressure (Dsp) according to the formula: Dsp=((m HH +m HL )−(m LH +m LL ))/(2dp), wherein m HH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, m HL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, m LH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, m LL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition, and dp is the pre-selected amount by which the pressure is either increased or decreased.
13. The control system in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising:
x) calculating the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to frequency (Dsf) according to the formula: Dsf=((m HH +m LH )−(m HL +m LL ))/(2df), wherein m HH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, m LH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, m HL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, m LL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition, and df is the pre-selected amount by which the frequency is either increased or decreased.
14. The control system in accordance with claim 5 , further comprising:
y) calculating the average energy (E1) according to the following formula: E1=average (E HH , E HL , E LH , E LL ), wherein E HH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, E HL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, E LH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, and E LL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition.
15. The control system in accordance with claim 14 , further comprising:
z) calculating the new target energy (E2) according to the following formula: E2=E1+(E DESIRED −E1)/n, wherein E1 is the average energy, E DESIRED is the desired energy level of the cylinder, and n is a number greater than 1.
16. The control system in accordance with claim 15 , further comprising:
aa) calculating the average slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response (S1) according to the following formula: S1=average (m HH , m HL , m LH , m LL ), wherein m HH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, m HL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, m LH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, and m LL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition.
17. The control system in accordance with claim 16 , further comprising:
bb) calculating the new target slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response (S2) according to the following formula: S2=S1+(S DESIRED −S1)/n, wherein S1 is the average slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response, S DESIRED is the desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response, and n is a number greater than 1.
18. The control system in accordance with claim 17 , further comprising:
cc) calculating the new target pressure (P NEW ) according to the formula: P NEW =[(DsfE2−DsfE1−DefS2+DefS1−DepDsfP)/(DefDsp−DepDsf)], wherein Def is the change in energy due to frequency, Dep is the change in energy due to pressure, Dsf is the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to frequency, Dsp is the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to pressure, E1 is the average energy, E2 is the new target energy, S1 is the average slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response, and S2 is the new target slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response.
19. The control system in accordance with claim 18 , further comprising:
dd) substituting the new target pressure (P NEW ) for the initial pressure and repeating steps c) through p).
20. The control system in accordance with claim 17 , further comprising:
ee) calculating the new target frequency (F NEW ) according to the formula: F NEW =[(DspE2−DspE1−DepS2+DepS1−DepDsfF)/(DefDsp−DepDsf)], wherein Def is the change in energy due to frequency, Dep is the change in energy due to pressure, Dsf is the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to frequency, Dsp is the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to pressure, E1 is the average energy, E2 is the new target energy, S1 is the average slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response, and S2 is the new target slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response.
21. The control system in accordance with claim 20 , further comprising:
ff) substituting the new target frequency (F NEW ) for the initial frequency and repeating steps c) through p).
22. The control system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:
a pressure dither system, wherein the pressure of the actuator cylinder during extension and retraction is changed by an incremental amount of pressure (ditherp).
23. The control system in accordance with claim 22 , wherein the dither pressure (ditherp) is calculated in accordance with the formula: [((rnd)(maxdither))−((rnd)(maxdither2))], wherein rnd is a random number function between 0 and 1, and maxdither is the pre-selected maximum pressure difference for dither pressure (ditherp).
24. The control system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:
a frequency ringing system, wherein the location of a particular frequency is reordered among the plurality of actuator cylinders.
25. The control system in accordance with claim 24 , wherein the frequency ringing system is calculated in accordance with the formula: cylinder i=Mode(i +Mode(C1, 6),6)+1, wherein i is the cylinder number, Mode is the remainder of the quotient between any two given numbers, and C1 is the count number representing a status change in the cylinder frequency location.
26. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, comprising:
a) selecting a desired energy level of the system response;
b) selecting a desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response;
c) determining the energy level under a high pressure/high frequency condition and a low pressure/low frequency condition so as to define an energy level range;
d) determining the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response under a high pressure/high frequency condition and a low pressure/low frequency condition so as to define a slope range;
e) determining whether the desired energy level falls within the energy level range; and
f) determining whether the desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response falls within the slope range.
27. The control system in accordance with claim 26 , further comprising:
g) decreasing the pressure and repeating steps a) through f), if the desired energy level of the system response does fall within the energy level range.
28. The control system in accordance with claim 26 , further comprising:
h) increasing the pressure and repeating steps a) through f), if the desired energy level of the system response does not fall within the energy level range.
29. The control system in accordance with claim 26 , further comprising:
i) decreasing the frequency and repeating steps a) through f), if the desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response does fall within the slope range.
30. The control system in accordance with claim 26 , further comprising:
j) increasing the frequency and repeating steps a) through f), if the desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response does not fall within the slope range.
31. The control system in accordance with claim 26 , further comprising:
a pressure dither system, wherein the pressure of the actuator cylinder during extension and retraction is changed by an incremental amount of pressure (ditherp).
32. The control system in accordance with claim 31 , wherein the dither pressure (ditherp) is calculated in accordance with the formula: [((rnd)(maxdither))−((rnd)(maxdither2))], wherein rnd is a random number function between 0 and 1, and maxdither is the pre-selected maximum pressure difference for dither pressure (ditherp).
33. The control system in accordance with claim 26 , further comprising:
a frequency ringing system, wherein the location of a particular frequency is reordered among the plurality of actuator cylinders.
34. The control system in accordance with claim 33 , wherein the frequency ringing system is calculated in accordance with the formula: cylinder i =Mode(i+Mode(C1, 6),6)+1, wherein i is the cylinder number, Mode is the remainder of the quotient between any two given numbers, and C1 is the count number representing a status change in the cylinder frequency location.
35. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, wherein the energy level and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the frequency are capable of changing in response to pressure and frequency, comprising:
calculating the change in energy due to pressure (Dep) according to the formula: Dep=((E HH +E HL )−(E LH +E LL ))/(2dp), wherein E HH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, E HL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, E LH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, E LL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition, and dp is the pre-selected amount by which the pressure is either increased or decreased.
36. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, wherein the energy level and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response are capable of changing in response to pressure and frequency, comprising:
calculating the change in energy due to frequency (Def) according to the formula: Def=((E HH +E LH )−(E HL +E LL ))/(2df), wherein E HH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a pressure/high frequency condition, E LH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, E HL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, E LL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition, and df is the pre-selected amount by which the frequency is either increased or decreased.
37. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, wherein the energy level and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response are capable of changing in response to pressure and frequency, comprising:
calculating the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to pressure (Dsp) according to the formula: Dsp=((m HH +m HL )−(m LH +m LL ))/(2dp), wherein m HH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, m HL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, m LH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, m LL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition, and dp is the pre-selected amount by which the pressure is either increased or decreased.
38. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, wherein the energy level and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response are capable of changing in response to pressure and frequency, comprising:
calculating the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to frequency (Dsf) according to the formula: Dsf=((m HH +m LH )−(m HL +m LL ))/(2df), wherein m HH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, m LH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, m HL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, m LL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition, and df is the pre-selected amount by which the frequency is either increased or decreased.
39. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, wherein the energy level and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response are capable of changing in response to pressure and frequency, comprising:
calculating the average energy (E1) according to the following formula: E1=average (E HH , E HL , E LH , E LL ), wherein E HH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, E HL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, E LH is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, and E LL is the energy measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition.
40. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, wherein the energy level and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response are capable of changing in response to pressure and frequency, comprising:
calculating the new target energy (E2) according to the following formula: E2=E1+(E DESIRED −E1)/n, wherein E1 is the average energy, E DESIRED is the desired energy level of the system response, and n is a number greater than 1.
41. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, wherein the energy level and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response are capable of changing in response to pressure and frequency, comprising:
calculating the average slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response (S1) according to the following formula: S1=average (m HH , m HL , m LH , m LL ), wherein m HH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/high frequency condition, m HL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a high pressure/low frequency condition, m LH is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/high frequency condition, and m LL is the slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response measured during a pressure/frequency condition corresponding to a low pressure/low frequency condition.
42. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, wherein the energy level and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response are capable of changing in response to pressure and frequency, comprising:
calculating the new target slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response (S2) according to the following formula: S2=S1+(S DESIRED −S1)/n, wherein S1 is the average slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response, S DESIRED is the desired slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response, and n is a number greater than 1.
43. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, wherein the energy level and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response are capable of changing in response to pressure and frequency, comprising:
calculating the new target pressure (P NEW ) according to the formula: P NEW =[(DsfE2−DsfE1−DefS2+DefS1−DepDsfP)/(DefDsp−DepDsf)], wherein Def is the change in energy due to frequency, Dep is the change in energy due to pressure, Dsf is the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to frequency, Dsp is the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to pressure, E1 is the average energy, E2 is the new target energy, S1 is the average slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response, and S2 is the new target slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response.
44. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at a pressure and a frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, wherein the energy level and slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response are capable of changing in response to pressure and frequency, comprising:
calculating the new target frequency (F NEW ) according to the formula: F NEW =[(DspE2−DspE1−DepS2+DepS1−DepDsfF)/(DefDsp−DepDsf)], wherein Def is the change in energy due to frequency, Dep is the change in energy due to pressure, Dsf is the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to frequency, Dsp is the change in slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response due to pressure, E1 is the average energy, E2 is the new target energy, S1 is the average slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response, and S2 is the new target slope of the fast Fourier transform of the system response.
45. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at an initial pressure and an initial frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, comprising:
a pressure dither system, wherein the pressure of the actuator cylinder during extension and retraction is changed by an incremental amount of pressure (ditherp).
46. The control system in accordance with claim 45 , wherein the dither pressure (ditherp) is calculated in accordance with the formula: [((rnd)(maxdither))−((rnd)(maxdither2))], wherein rnd is a random number function between 0 and 1, and maxdither is the pre-selected maximum pressure difference for dither pressure (ditherp).
47. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at an initial pressure and an initial frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, comprising:
a frequency ringing system, wherein the location of a particular frequency is randomly reordered among the plurality of actuator cylinders.
48. The control system in accordance with claim 47 , wherein the frequency ringing system is calculated in accordance with the formula: cylinder i=Mode(i+Mode(C1, 6),6)+1, wherein i is the cylinder number, Mode is the remainder of the quotient between any two given numbers, and C1 is the count number representing a status change in the cylinder frequency location.
49. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at an initial pressure and an initial frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, comprising:
a) selecting a desired system response;
b) changing an operational parameter of the cylinders by a pre-selected amount in order to create a first pressure/frequency condition, wherein the operational parameter is selected from the group consisting of pressure, frequency, and combinations thereof; and
c) determining the system response under the first pressure/frequency condition.
50. The control system in accordance with claim 49 , further comprising:
d) storing the system response determination of the first pressure/frequency condition in a data storage medium.
51. The control system in accordance with claim 50 , further comprising:
e) changing an operational parameter of the cylinders by a pre-selected amount in order to create a second pressure/frequency condition different from the first pressure/frequency condition; and
f) determining the system response under the second pressure/frequency condition.
52. The control system in accordance with claim 51 , further comprising:
g) storing the system response determination of the second pressure/frequency condition in a data storage medium.
53. The control system in accordance with claim 52 , further comprising:
h) changing an operational parameter of the cylinders by a pre-selected amount in order to create a third pressure/frequency condition different from the first and second pressure/frequency conditions; and
i) determining the system response under the third pressure/frequency condition.
54. The control system in accordance with claim 53 , further comprising:
j) storing the system response determination of the third pressure/frequency condition in a data storage medium.
55. The control system in accordance with claim 54 , further comprising:
k) changing an operational parameter of the cylinders by a pre-selected amount in order to create a fourth pressure/frequency condition different from the first, second, and third pressure/frequency conditions; and
l) determining the system response under the fourth pressure/frequency condition.
56. The control system in accordance with claim 55 , further comprising:
m) storing the system response determination of the fourth pressure/frequency condition in a data storage medium.
57. The control system in accordance with claim 56 , further comprising:
n) determining whether the desired system response is present.
58. The control system in accordance with claim 57 , further comprising:
o) decreasing the pre-selected amount that the operational parameter is changed by and repeating steps b) through n), until the desired system response is present.
59. The control system in accordance with claim 57 , further comprising:
p) increasing the pre-selected amount that the operational parameter is increased by and repeating steps b) through n), until the desired system response is present.
60. The control system in accordance with claim 49 , further comprising:
a pressure dither system, wherein the pressure of the actuator cylinder during extension and retraction is changed by an incremental amount of pressure (ditherp).
61. The control system in accordance with claim 60 , wherein the dither pressure (ditherp) is calculated in accordance with the formula: [((rnd)(maxdither))−((rnd)(maxdither2))], wherein rnd is a random number function between 0 and 1, and maxdither is the pre-selected maximum pressure difference for dither pressure (ditherp).
62. The control system in accordance with claim 49 , further comprising:
a frequency ringing system, wherein the location of a particular frequency is reordered among the plurality of actuator cylinders.
63. The control system in accordance with claim 62 , wherein the frequency ringing system is calculated in accordance with the formula: cylinder i=Mode(i+Mode(C1, 6),6)+1, wherein i is the cylinder number, Mode is the remainder of the quotient between any two given numbers, and C1 is the count number representing a status change in the cylinder frequency location.
64. A control system for a failure mode testing system having a determinable system response, wherein the testing system includes a plurality of actuator cylinders, each cylinder operating at an initial pressure and an initial frequency, wherein the frequency of each of the cylinders is different, comprising:
a) selecting a desired system response;
b) determining the system response;
c) determining whether the desired system response is present; and
d) changing an operational parameter of the cylinders by a sufficient amount in order to achieve the desired system response, wherein the operational parameter is selected from the group consisting of pressure, frequency, and combinations thereof.
65. The control system in accordance with claim 64 , further comprising:
e) decreasing the amount that the operational parameter is changed by and repeating steps b) through c), until the desired system response is present.
66. The control system in accordance with claim 64 , further comprising:
f) increasing the amount that the operational parameter is increased by and repeating steps b) through c) until the desired system response is present.
67. The control system in accordance with claim 64 , further comprising:
a pressure dither system, wherein the pressure of the actuator cylinder during extension and retraction is changed by an incremental amount of pressure (ditherp).
68. The control system in accordance with claim 64 , wherein the dither pressure (ditherp) is calculated in accordance with the formula: [((rnd)(maxdither))−((rnd)(maxdither2))], wherein rnd is a random number function between 0 and 1, and maxdither is the pre-selected maximum pressure difference for dither pressure (ditherp).
69. The control system in accordance with claim 64 , further comprising:
a frequency ringing system, wherein the location of a particular frequency is reordered among the plurality of actuator cylinders.
70. The control system in accordance with claim 69 , wherein the frequency ringing system is calculated in accordance with the formula: cylinder i=Mode(i+Mode(C1, 6),6)+1, wherein i is the cylinder number, Mode is the remainder of the quotient between any two given numbers, and C1 is the count number representing a status change in the cylinder frequency location.Cited by (0)
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